Beaches in Gokarna

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This post has been published in Club Mahindra blog. This is my 3rd post on Gokarna. Here’s my 2nd post and 1st post.

About Gokarna: An ancient beach town in Uttara Kannada district of Karnataka, Gokarna has great religious significance as well. The town has 5 beaches – Gokarna, Kudle, OM, Half Moon and Paradise – in that order and with hills between the beaches. As such, it offers extremely good opportunity for beach treks. None of these beach treks surpass 30 minutes duration and provide exotic views of the sea from the hillocks. World seems to have stopped when you are here – beach hop, lay on the beach, jog, walk, eat at beach cafes, buy, drink, dance, write – do whatever but don’t rush. This is a place that rewards laziness. All these make Gokarna a great two day weekend getaway from Bangalore, Goa, Mumbai and Pune during Oct-Apr.

 

Carefool at OM Beach

 

Each beach in Gokarna is a lazy man’s paradise. Stay and eat at a beach side hack/cafe/hotel/resort. Lie on the  beach – on a bed-sheet with a hat over your face to avoid sun/eye-contact, or with the sun scorching your back. Or, read a book lying on a towel and in your bare minimum. And the best part, wear almost anything that you want (just that you have to wear something) – barmudas with sleepers, Alibaba pants and top, or a skirt of any shape and size.

There are five beaches in Gokarna – Gokarna, Kudle, Om, Half Moon and Paradise, in that order.

 

Gokarna Beach at Dusk

 

Gokarna Beach – It lies close to the town and is frequented by locals and tourists alike. The beach is close to the Mahabaleshwar Temple, a very old Lord Shiva temple that has an associated legend as well. At the beach, you can spot families, young and elderly couples, single and group travellers. It goes without saying – several fast food joints and the groundnut/balloon sellers adorn the shoreline. In the vicinity, you will find plenty of hotels, food joints and garments/puja shops. A word of caution here for tourists:  Avoid wearing skimpy clothes in the area. Since the ancient temple is nearby, this part of Gokarna is more of a pilgrim town than a beach town. You wouldn’t want to be an eye-sore for the locals just for your choice of clothes.

 

Kudle Beach

Kudle Beach – Is mostly frequented by foreigners and is almost a kilometer long, pretty wide as well. This gives you ample space to engage in the usual beach games, bonfires etc. Rocks, and plenty of them, adorn the sea shore. You’d find foreign tourists (mostly, but some Indians as well) staying in the shacks – sleeping, eating, drinking and reading.  I spotted the “Shantaram” being read atleast atleast thrice! King Fish delicacies are very tasty and are reasonably priced, in fact cheaper than most restaurants in Bangalore. The eateries play continental/Israeli music all the time. You could also beach trek from Kudle to Mahabaleshwar Temple.

OM Beach

OM Beach – This beach is around 20 minutes of an auto ride from the Gokarna bus stand. Certainly the best of the five Gokarna beaches, the beach derives its name from the Hindu religious symbol – OM, since its shape resembles that of the symbol. The ‘OM’ shape is pretty evident when you see the beach from the hillocks on the either side. However, the right side gives a better view than the left. Consequently, the picture you take would be mirror image of the OM symbol. The beach is the longest among the five beaches and is frequented by Indian and foreign tourists alike. You can stay at the Namaste Café which overlooks the OM Beach, or at any of the several shacks that are scattered around the beach. There is also the Swaswara resort as well, a hundred odd meters away from Om beach. There are three equidistant rocky patches at the beach. Two things you shouldn’t miss at OM – sitting atop each rock patch and the morning jog.

Half Moon Beach - Panorama

Half Moon Beach – It’s a tiny beach and can be reached by beach trekking from Om, or by paying INR 200 on a ferry boat. But the ferry ride wouldn’t allow you to spend much time at the beach. The beach has huge rocks as well. There’s a hut and you may as well get some food there. Once here lose yourself and merge with the tranquil surroundings.

Paradise Beach – The fifth and the last beach in the series, and it befits its name. You have to beach trek for about 20 min from Half Moon beach to reach Paradise beach. There are a couple of beach cafes as well.

Tips…

1. Be careful while swimming, as the sea is shallow at some places and there are several cases of death due to drowning reported every year here.
2. As usual, bargain hard with the sellers – beads sellers, clothes and accessories sellers, musical instruments sellers etc.
3. Take mosquito repellent and a bed-sheet with you.
4. Try beach trek – there are at least four options. If you can’t beach trek at all, you can see the beaches on a ferry boat – at INR 200 per head.
5. Take your swimwear with you – there aren’t too many beaches in India where you can wear them without being ogled. So, don’t miss this opportunity.
6. Don’t wear bikini at the Gokarna Beach – this may offend the local people and the police. But you may wear them at the other four beaches.
7. Don’t miss the morning jog at OM beach.

Skywatch Friday – Karwar

I went to Goa last September, from Bangalore via sleeper bus. It is an overnight jouney and usually takes 14 odd hours. Predictably, you would sleep at night and in the morning, you would pass through coastal Karnataka. En route, the most beautiful place I believe is Karwar. The town is in Uttara Kannada district and is 15 km south of Karnataka-Goa border. Interestingly, a spot here has Rabindra Nath Tagore’s name. I didn’t stay there so if you want to pay this place a visit, the links below will help you.

This picture is headed for Skywatch Friday. Thanks Vamsee for the idea. So, here you go.

 

Karwar Skyline

Further Reading

• Official website
• Karwar Travelogues by Sandeep, Poonam, Arvind, Abhishek.

Just push it – Murudeshwar Beach

This is my 3rd post on Murudeshwar. Here’s my 1st post and 2nd post.

I loved Murudeshwar (also called Murudeswara, Murudeswar, Mrudeswara) Beach. The Beach has visibly two parts – one flanked by the tourists (not large in numbers though) and the other visited by only those who want some ‘private’ space. This private space is just 400m off from the where the beach starts. During the beach walk, I saw few children (presumably of local fishermen) pushing a boat off the beach. Here’s the 1-minute video:

After this video, I asked two kids whether they would like to be photographed. They agreed but were really shy. Clicked them though.

Dont be shy my Honey

Other children sniffed the opportunity to get clicked and rushed towards me shouting ‘Photo, Photo’. During the next few seconds, I managed another click. Here you go:

Me too

The fisherman was on his boat sailing through the waves. The scene reminded me of ‘The old man and the Sea’.

Old Man and the Sea

Acknowledgment: Post idea courtesy Mridula

About Murudeshwar: A sylvan beach by the temple, some beach-side eateries, beach activities (boat ride, snorkeling, banana ride, diving, eating fish fry etc – no bikini beach tan though), an island (Netrani) and some shopping (items made of local root) pretty much sums up the place. A good weekend getaway from Bangalore during Oct-Feb. More.

Related Posts:

1. Murudeshwar: Understated but Exhilirating
2. Murudeshwar Guest House: Hotel review

TGIF #2 – Chikmaglur

I went to Chikmaglur (also called Chikmagalur, Chikkamagaluru, Chickmagalur) a year back – Christmas week of 2007. In Kannada, the name means ‘town of the younger daughter‘. The place lies in Baba Budan Hills in Karnataka. The trip entailed overnight travel, backpacking, trekking, campfire (at rooftop of a hotel!), sleeping in a tent etc. Here’s a pic from that trip. You can read more about the place here.

Baba Budan Hills - Chikmagalur

Namaste Cafe, Gokarna – overlooking OM Beach

Follow me on Twitter. Add me as a friend on at Orkut or Facebook . Visit my Flickr photostream. This is my 2nd post on Gokarna. Here’s my 1st post.

Namaste Cafe Entrance

About Gokarna – An ancient beach town in Uttara Kannada district of Karnataka, Gokarna has great religious significance as well. The town has 5 beaches – Gokarna, Kudle, OM, Half Moon and Paradise – in that order and with hills between the beaches. As such, it offers extremely good opportunity for beach treks. None of these beach treks surpass 30 minutes duration and provide exotic views of the sea from the hillocks. World seems to have stopped when you are here – beach hop, lay on the beach, jog, walk, eat at beach cafes, buy, drink, dance, write – do whatever but don’t rush. This is a place that rewards laziness. And yes, it is one of the very few places in India (other than Goa of course!) where you can find bikini babes – and that too in good numbers. All these make Gokarna a great two day weekend getaway from Bangalore, Goa, Mumbai and Pune during Oct-Mar.

About Namaste Cafe – Lies on the shore of OM Beach. In fact it lies so close, you would feel OM Beach is the private beach of Namaste Cafe. Ph – 08386 – 257141, Address – Near Om Beach, Gokarna, Karnataka – 581326

Namaste Cafe from Om beach

Rates: Range is INR 150-600 for double occupation. Mind you, I’m talking on Oct 2008.

Services: You wouldn’t need much for your room. But you would spend quite some time at the restaurant – eating, drinking, smoking, talking or just, passing time looking at the sea and people around. At the restaurant, service is prompt and accurate.

Best Experience: The cafe lies just on the shore of OM beach. This takes away all the distractions that you may have while on a beach vacation. Just leave your room and hop on to OM Beach – jog, walk, just lay lazy, write, observer the sea and people, sit atop the rocks at the beach. Also, you can beach trek from beach to another.

Worst Experience: The room was stuffy and the bed-sheet dirty. But this was inconsequential given the advantages.

From Namaste Cafe Balcony

Summary: The location of the cafe is the best part – overlooking OM beach. Thus, you can have your breakfast, lunch and dinner and simultaneously watching the sea and people around. The cool breeze, the sound of the sea, the lingo of the people around you and of course, the little shop selling beach wares and accessories makes it a perfect place to spend time. The only catch, small rooms.

Tips & Tricks

1. The room was really small and the bed-sheet dirty. So, bring a bed-sheet with you in case you want to sleep on a clean one.
2. You may need a mosquito repellent. I didn’t need one though. But then, better safe than sorry.
3. Take the rooms in the first floor – you’d spend a quality time on the balcony.
4. Try the Continental food at the cafe – the price, taste and ambience is a good bargain.
5. Have heavy breakfast at the cafe – the sea view with the breeze caressing your ears and hairs is a charming experience

Further Reading:

My review at HolidayIQ, Namaste Cafe @ Flickr,

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Gokarna Post 1-Welcome

To Gokarna

En route Gokarna

After my one day Murudeshwara trip, I ventured towards Gokarna, which I anticipated to be yet another temple town by the beach – somewhat like Jagannathpuri, Rameshwaram, Kanyakumari, Mahabalipuram or Murudeshwara. Gokarna has an interesting legend, dating back to Ramayana times. A local bus (in fact, it was a cramped 10 seater with 15 odd people aboard) took me to Kumta in INR 16. The bus (if I may call it that) covered part of the journey on the National Highway, and the other part through the villages en route. It was an interesting forty minute journey, since it has been awhile since I visited a village. But the potholes and turns on the roads, the packed bag on my lap, a man leaning over me from the left and a woman in a half seated posture in my front ensured I had a little cramp on my back. I accepted the cramp as a souvenir from yet another Great Indian Bus Journey of mine. The bus stopped at Kumta and it was time to catch another 10 seater. Boarded it 10 minutes later, and in another 40 odd minutes, I was at Gokarna.

Gokarna

Typo at the eatery board

Gokarna bus stop doesn’t stand out from any other small town ‘city bus stand’ in India – a shed with few concrete settees, a ticket counter doubling as registration room for bus drivers, an eatery, a shop selling travel items (snacks, mineral water, handkerchiefs, wallets, lock and keys, local newspapers and stationery), two toilets (HE and SHE) and an area where buses arrive, stand and depart. And of course, there was a typo on the eatery board – jues for juice. A group (3 pairs) looked familiar. These folks were on the same bus (Bangalore to Gokarna) as I. Incidentally, they planned their return next evening – same as me. That implied they planned to stay at Gokarna for a day more than I did. I made my return booking on the same 7:30pm sleeper bus leaving next evening.

The Folks

Eenlightment

A little chat with a pair revealed that the group was staying at a shack in OM beach – in just 100 bucks a piece. These guys were on a roll here. Beach, Booze, and Breeze. Add Babes to the list and you can imagine these pairs having one the best weekends of their lives. During my entire stay at Gokarna, I encountered these folks time and again. Predictably, I observed them pretty closely and they were so absorbing, they justify a separate post on themselves. Nevertheless, I got some useful tips from them – a bird’s eyeview of a day in a shack, must eats and auto fares. I bid them adieu and boarded an auto to OM Beach – 120 bucks.

Road Ahead

I had cool 34 hours to explore Gokarna, and I wanted to feel its religious significance as much as soak in its beaches. The auto meandered through hillocks and roads bordering the sea. There was vegetation, but in clusters. A 25 min auto ride took me to the OM Beach entrance. My next posts will talk about the what happened next.

The Other Side

Murudeshwara: understated but exhilarating

Temple town by the Sylvan Beach

About the place – Murudeshwara (also called Mrudeshwar, Murudeshwar, Mrudeshwara) has a religious significance, supposedly from Ramayana times (I have heard of a somewhat similar story about Deoghar – don’t know which version to trust). A sylvan beach by the temple, some beach-side eateries, beach activities (boat ride, snorkelling, banana ride, diving, eating fish fry etc – no bikini beach tan though), an island (Netrani) and some shopping (items made of local root) pretty much sums up the place. Ans yes, the name ‘RN Sheety’ reverberates everywhere you go in this town. A good weekend getaway from Bangalore during Oct-Feb.

How did I arrive here – I planned for a trip to Gokarna, but included Murudeshwara in the eleventh hour. So, there was no scope for making amendments to bus tickets. Thus, landed in Gokarna, took a bus to Kumta and then to Murudeshwara. A big gate welcomed me on my arrival to this temple-beach town. Hired an auto (in INR 25 for 3 km) and reached the places of interest – Murudeshwara temple, Shiva statue, Gopura, Beach, hotels, eateries and local market.

Shiva Statue

Where I stayed – at RNS Guest House. It has several sea facing rooms (probbaly 55). I was lucky in the sense that my room was at one corner of the building which gave me two balconies – with a breathtaking view of the sea lashing at the rocks on one side, meeting the horizon at another side and kissing the fishermen’s huts at the third.

What did I see – Temple, Gopuram and Beach

Murudeshwara Temple sits atop Kanduka Hill and surrounded by sea on three sides. Photography and/or Videography is not allowed inside the temple. The verandah/porch of the temple presents an exquisite view of the sea and a good opportunity to you to shoot. At the entrance to the temple lies the giant Raja Gopuram – a good 20 stories tall (249 ft) and guarded by life-size concrete elephant pairs on either side. This Gopuram, like its class elsewhere, is rectangular with ground level wooden doors – which is entrance

Gopuram and Lord Shiva

to a temple. This is the only gopuram which has a lift and devotees can go right to the top (however, the lift was closed when I went there). It was built under the guidance of Tamil sculptor S K Achar who built “Vivekanada Rock” in Kanyakumari along with his sons Dakshinamurthy and Swaminathan and a big team of 500 Tanjore-based sculptors.

Wikipedia page on Murudeshwara suggests that there is a fort behind the temple. However, none of the people I asked (and I asked plenty of them) knew anything about the fort.

The Beach has visibly two parts – one flanked by the tourists (not large in numbers though) and the other visited by only those who want some ‘private’ space. The beach presents the best example of how the RN Sheety brand has marketed itself in this once sleepy hamlet. The beach is flanked by RNS creations – the Gopura, the statue of Lord Shiva, RNS Hotels (guest house and residencies) and eateries. On the beach, a good 500m from the temple, you’re on your own except for a few children of the local fishermen. While on a  km walk on this stretch, I encountered a group of kids pushing a boat for a fisherman. Took a video and some shots of the boat, fisherman and the kids. Boat Ride is also available at the beach (INR 40 for a 20 min ride). The ride gives the view of the temple and the Shiva statue from the back. Watching the sun going down the horizon was resplendent.

Push Up

What did I eat – Veg dinner and breakfast at Naveen Beach Restarant(excellent view of the beach while you eat), non veg lunch at Naveen Beach Resort (only place where you can ‘drink’) and ‘Bangda’ fish fry at a beach-side stall.

TravellersDiary recommends

Take an evening bus from Bangalore to reach Murudeshwara early next morning. RNS group has a good portfolio of hotels where you can stay – RNS Guest House (08385-268990, INR 650) , RNS Residency (268901-03, INR 1100 onwards)and Naveen Beach Resort(260415, INR 1700 onwards). Visit the Temple and the Gopuram at the entrance. Take a walk at the beach, and if you want some privacy, move ahead by half a km from the temple. The spot near the Shiva statue will give you a good sight of the town – with its beach, hills, palm/coconut trees, eateries, boats and hotels in a single charming frame. Go for boat ride. And if you are an adventure enthusiast and are not constrained by pocket, go to Netrani Island – for snorkelling, diving, banana ride. For next day. move on to Kumta (for some sandalwood crafts shopping) or to Gokarna (for beaches and an ancient temple).

More Resources

TravellersDiary Album, Wikipedia page, oktatabyebye page, Sanket’s page, Dancewithshadows page.

Mysore: Palatial Experience

About the place

Also called Mysuru, The City of Palaces is a 3.5 hrs journey by road (150 km) from Bangalore. The Wodeyar dynasty ruled Mysore for almost five and a half centuries. The city is very old and has a lot of structures that are huge and remind you of the days of Rajas. The Wodeyars were patrons of art and culture and evry must-see spot in the town will prove that – the 4 palaces, chamunda temple, art gallery, zoo, lakes, gardens etc. The place is also famous for Mysore Pak (a sweet) and Mysore silk-saree (a garment). Climate is cool (max 33 deg C in summers ie. Mar-Jun) throughout the year. Best time to visit is during the Dasara festival, usually in October.

What to see/do

Mysore Palace: Mysore Palace is one of the most visited monuments in India, even beating Taj Mahal [Source]. Also called Ambi Vilas, the Palace is the center of the city of Mysore. The royal family of Mysore formerly resided here and also presided over the ceremonial meetings. Designed by British architect Henry Irwin, the three storied Palace was constructed in Indo-Saracenic style at the cost of INR 4,200,000 at 1912. There is a large space (comprising a large garden, staff quarters, residential museum, several temples and a place where you can enjoy camel and elephant rides) that surrounds the Palace. The Palace has four gates on four sides. It is open to public from 10 am to 5 pm everyday.

The open spaces are open to photography. But you cannot go inside the Palace with a camera. The security is pretty tight, so don’t try sneaking your camera in any way. You’ll have to shell INR 15 for keeping your camera at a stall outside and INR 20 for Palace entry fee. Also, you’ll have to keep your shoes outside at another stall (INR 0.50 per pair). The decorations, designs and architectural patterns inside the palace will give you several ‘aha’ moments. The view outside from the Durbar will enable you view the palace sprawl. The palace also houses 12 temples built at different periods (oldest: 14^th century, latest: 1953), with Someshwara Temple being most famous. You may also visit the armory of the royal family. Sunday evening (7pm to 8pm) the Palace is illuminated with 100,000 bulbs of 100W and looks regal. The entry into palace grounds is free, however you cannot enter inside the palace after 5pm. The view attracts thousands of visitors every Sunday evening.

Jaganmohan (Jayachamarajendra) Art Gallery: It was built by the royalty when their earlier palace was burnt down. It is a three storied palace with stained glass shutters. It was converted to an Art Gallery in 1915. The gallery houses several paintings of Raja Ravi Verma and portraits of the royal family, most of which are life-like. Some paintings depict sari-clad women in their full fledged shape and glow. The gallery also houses several furnitures, artifacts and musical instruments of the royal family. Besides the royal paintings, I liked “Glow of Hope” painting the most. The display arena of the painting is darkened, which heightens the nuances of the painting.

Philomena Church: Inspired by Cologne Cathedral in Germany, this half a century old church is built in Neo-Gothic style. The Maharajah of Mysore laid the foundation in 1933, but it took more than two decades to complete its construction (probably due to independence related turbulence in India). The Church is extremely large and exudes an old-world charm. Someone there told me the twin spires of the Church somewhat resembles Cologne Cathedral (Germany) and St. Patrick’s Church (New York). The main altar preserves the relic of Saint Philomena. There are several paintings on the stained glass windows inside the Church. Camera is not allowed inside, however, you may use the camera just outside the church building (and hence the adjoining picture).

Chamundi Hills: This 1000m high hill is around 10km from Mysore bus-stand (city center). The hill presents a panoramic view of the Mysore city. Atop the hill, is a bus stand and Chamundi Devi (also called Chamundeswari, Chamundeshwari) Temple nearby. There is another route to the Temple – climbing 1000 steps (I only saw the steps, don’t really know any other detail though; may be next time). The temple is very popular, with thousand of devotees thronging the place on weekends and holidays. There are three types of entry – free, INR 20 and INR 100. The temple houses diety of Goddess Mahisasurmardini (slayer of demon Mahisasur), or Durga. The deity is taken on an elephant during the famous Dasara festival. Other must-see stuff are the monolithic statues of Mahisasura and Nandi Bull and Godly Museum. Food (South Indian) is available at some local shops. En route to the Temple, you may see Lalitha Mahal (a palace), race course, Mysore Palace, Rajendra Vilas Palace (momentarily closed to the public due to renovation) and Karanji and Kukkarahalli Lakes.

Vrindavan (Brindavan) Gardens: Almost 15km from Mysore bus-stand, lies this attractive garden beside the KrishnaRajaSagar Dam (KRS Dam built on river Cauvery, or Kaveri). The garden was completed in 1932 and is visited by almost 2 million tourists per year. Entry fee is INR 20 per head, and another INR 50 if you want to take a camera along. The Garden has three terraces comprising fountains and several breeds of flowers (I could only identify two – Bougainvillea and Marigold) and trees. A lake (and a very massive one) divides the park into two. Boats ferry people from one side to another, there’s a bridge as well in case you want to walk. During the evening, there’s musical fountain from 6:30pm to 7:30pm. As the name says, the water is synchronized with the music. The show draws major crowds and traffic comes to a stand still when all the vehicles leave at the show’s end. There’s an adjoining 75 acres fruit orchard as well. Buses ply from Mysore at every 30 min from Mysore local Bus Stand.

Other attractions: Mysore has several other attractions like Karanaji Lake, Rail Museum (houses Maharani’s Saloon), Mysore Zoo (dates back to 1892), Folklore Museum (inside University of Mysore campus) and Oriental Research Institute. These places are recommended if you are on a 2-day tour to Mysore. For single day tourists, only the first five venues are advisable. Other nearby places are Srirangapatna, Ranganthittu Bird Sanctuary, Sivasamudra Falls, Talakad and Bylakuppe.

How to get there/local transport

From Bangalore: Regular buses (20 min) from Majestic; Fare is INR 80 on BMTC buses; takes around 3/3.5 hours. There are 9 trains between Bangalore and Mysore (Times from Bangalore – 0430, 0500, 0625, 0700, 0735, 1415, 1815, 2055, 2355 hrs and times from Mysore – 0400, 0710, 0805, 0930, 1005,1045, 1645, 2115, 2355 ). For bookings go here. You may also decide to ride on a bike or have a personal vehicle.

Local Transport: Mysore has two bus stands – city BS and main BS, both near the Mysore Palace. Buses ply from the city BS to every tourist spot – Chamunda Hills, Brindavan Gardens, Philomena’s Church etc. Enquiry office guys are really helpful. Autos are also available and charge reasonably. Alternately, you may rent a taxi for city tour.

Where to stay

If you are on a 1-day tour, no need to stay. If you have to stay, there are several hotels around the bus-stand area, take a call according to your budget.

TravellersDiary Recommendations

One-day trip: Leave Bangalore early morning (this avoids any delay due to traffic and also gives you ample time) and reach Mysore by 9 am. Visit the Chamunda hills first. Stop enroute (ask anyBus conductor for directions) to visit Lalitha Mahal. Then move towards the temple. Have breakfast and drive down to the city. Next, visit Philomena’s Church, Jaganmohan Art Gallery, Mysore Palace in sequence. Next, take a bus (or personal vehicle, but not auto) to Brindavan Gardens. Experience the beauty, boating and musical fountain there. Come back to Mysore city and then back to where you came from.

Two-Day Trip: Do the above and also visit five places mentioned in ‘other attractions’. Alternately, you may want to combine Srirangapatna-Mysore in two days. Leave Bangalore early to reach Srirangapatna at 9am. Follow TravellersDiary recommendations for Srirangapatna and then leave for Mysore. Visit the market (buy Mysore Pak, silk sarees etc) and stay in a hotel.And yes, do take a lot of photographs.

Further Readings

More TravellersDiary pics

Hogenakkal: Gorges, Waterfalls and Parisaling

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About the place

The place offers multiple experiences – gorges, boating, massage, bathing in beach/waterfall, diving, fish fry – all rolled into one. Also called Hogenakal, Hogennakkal, Hoggenakal, Hoggenekal, Hogennekal, Niagara of India, the place derives its name from hoge (smoke in Kannada) exhaled by kal (rocks in Kannada) because of water force. A series of waterfall and their mist, circular boats (parisal, hence the term I coined parisaling), a couple of gorges, beaches and theatrical surrounding each such experience awaits you here. The place is 130 km from Bangalore and is accessible by both train and road. At Hogenakkal, Cauvery (also called Kaveri, Kavery) falls from a great height creating waterfalls and cutting through gorges. The river water is traditionally believed to have healing effects (since the river flows through a forest having plants of medicinal value). Best time to visit is non-monsoon period.

What to see/do

One comes to Hogenakkal for its famous waterfalls and famed oil massage, and returns with scintillating other add-ons. Among other add-ons, parisal and beach are most retrieving. Here’re the stuff you should see/do to make the most of your trip. Most of the photographs here are taken by Shekhar.

There is no way for you to reach the waterfalls if you don’t rent these circular vessels called Parisal, or Coracle in English. A parisal has a bamboo frame covered with plastic (or, as they said, buffalo hide). The bottom of the parisal is tarred which makes it water proof. The first look of these vessels might make you doubtful about its ability to carry eight people for 3 long hours. But I read that parisals are one of the oldest watercraft in the world (Apparently parisals were used by Roman invaders as early as 1st century AD. This was relieving indeed). Plus, nobody else seemed to have this doubt. So, we took the plunge and hired two parisals – 5 boarded each. We had to bargain a lot – from 200 per head we brought the boatmen down to 550 per boat for a total time of 3 hours, including waiting time for add-ons.

Ride on the parisal had several phases, with each break better than the previous one.

Phase 1 (Mistiest Waterfall)

The ride started without any hiccups. The boatman did a stunt and started rotating the parisal at a good speed. It was indeed exhilarating. Do ask your boatman to do the same. And yes, it is absolutely safe. After a couple of minutes we had to de-board the parisal and took a walk on the rocks. We reached a waterfall, which was probably the mistiest of all. The tiny droplets of water sprinkles on your hairs and skin and makes the photo session interesting. Water was gushing out at a great speed and the lashing sound on the rocks made it all the more mighty. Also, there is a Viewpoint Tower (entry INR 2) which allows you to see far and wide.

Phase 2 (Upstream Waterfall)

Next phase started with we getting down the steps to board the parisal at a gorge. We reached a fork, with waterfalls on one side and beach on the other. We took the waterfalls route. The proximity to the waterfalls was sublime. The boatman rotated the parisal so that each one of us gets wet with the ‘falling’ water. We went a little upstream and close to only a couple of waterfalls as any further advance could have been troublesome. We had to balance well on the parisal. Any unwanted movement could have spelled trouble – so we avoided it. We took a few snaps of the place and retreated. It was a real treat to watch the lashing water on one side and contrastingly calm waters on the other side. Interestingly, there are mobile shops on parisals selling several items of interest – gutkha, mouth fresheners, cigarettes etc.

Phase 3 (Learning to Fly)

The large rocky stretches, with Karnataka-granite on both sides of the river (it was gorge) captured our imagination. There were a few children on the top of it, roughly at 30 odd ft. Someone told us that in INR 5/10, they would jump from the cliff. Gosh! It sounded inhuman and insensate. On closer observation, I found that the children were really happy – their laughter said it all. One kid jumped, and I took the photograph. Seeing a kid jump from a 30 ft cliff into deep water was quite a sight. The parisal then moved towards the beach. The island divided the river into two. We were asked to take a break – for bath, some fish fry, massage etc. We parked the parisal at the beach.

Phase 4 (Bath, Massage and fish fry)

The beach break was real fun. The water was knee deep and was a blessing for me, since I can’t swim! We made the most out of it. Squatting, jumping, thumping, floating and all other myriad maneuvers were made in a span of half an hour. The frenzy of water activities brought hunger with it. Got out of water and stepped on the sand, only to find it extremely hot. We had to run hurriedly towards the shops selling cold drinks, chips and other eatables. Few women were selling fish fry – INR 15 a piece. We bargained and brought it a little down. The fish fries turned out to be delicious. For the vegetarian folks, there were some chips etc available. Meanwhile, I collected some sea shells as memento of Hogenakkal.

The boatman offered us massage (standard rates are INR 50 for head massage for 10-15 minutes and INR 100 for full body massage for 30-45 minutes). None of us agreed. However, we did spot some people getting massage. So, I leave it to you to take a call on this. Just check whether the guy offering you massage has a valid license or not. We returned to our water acts. This time it was the competition to try staying afloat for the maximum time. Needless to say, most of us got disqualified – since almost nobody could swim.

Phase 5 (The Strike)

The water act continued for a long time. At the end of it, we boarded the parisal for the next phase. Our next stop was a rather effusive waterfall, not very high but gushy. Water just under the fall wasn’t to deep, so the boatman asked us to go virtually inside the fall. The burbling water lashed upon us with full force, and needless to say, we didn’t miss the massage of Hogenakkal. Bathing there for half an hour left us tired but ecstatic. Time was almost up (3 hours) and the boatman called us back. It was time to head back. Heading back was uneventful, with all of us tired and gratified with the Hogenakkal experience. The trip ended with us eating (fish rice, what else?) at a nearby joint and then boarding our Tempo Traveler.

Getting there/Town Transport

From Bangalore: Train – From Bangalore there are 6 trains to Dharmapuri, the earliest leaving Bangalore Cant. station at 0627 hrs. Then take a bus to Hogenakkal (47 km). While returning, take a bus from Hogenakkal to Dharmapuri and take the evening train from Dharmapuri at 1817 hrs. You may check at railway‘s website. , Road – Buses are available from Bangalore to Dharmapuri, and then to Hogenakkal. If you take a personal vehicle, you have go through Hosur – Krishnagiri – NH 7 to Dharmapuri – Hogenakkal. There is another route through Hosur – Rayakottai – Palacode – Pannagram – Dharmapuri – Hogenakkal. Roads are good throughout. Here’s the map.

From Chennai: Distance is 355 Kms. Train – Get down at Morappar (75 km from Hogenakkal), then to Dharmapuri and Hogenakkal. Bus – Straight buses operated by TNSTC. By a personal vehicle, route would be – Chennai – Vellore – Ambur – Krishnagiri – Dharmapuri – Hogenakkal. Here’s the map.

Where to stay

I guess not many people stay there due to its proximity to Bangalore. However, if you still want to stay, TTDC (+91-4342-256447) operates a hotel there. Other options are tourist bungalow run by the State Tourism Development, Corporation, Hotel Tamil Nadu (+91-4342-56447) and Tourist Rest House. Please verify from other sources about the hotels before making a booking.

TravellersDiary’s Recommendation

Set out on a one day trip from Bangalore. Start early to enjoy the morning freshness en route. Stop at Pennagaram, where at the outskirts of the village you would find guardian deities Aiyanars. [A website describes them as being “Made of terracotta or plastered brick, these giant figures are brightly colored and generally depict fearsome and mustachioed warriors.”] Reach Hogenakkal after paying levies at multiple places (we paid INR 30 twice and INR 20 once), park your vehicle and leave for the river. Remove your shoes, specs, hairbands, watches(non waterproof ones). Purse, mobile, credit card, camera etc will get drenched if you don’t take adequate precaution. Take a plastic bag with you for the same. If you cannot speak Kannada/Tamil, dont worry. Even if you speak Hindi, you can manage. Do bargain a lot with the boatmen and fish-fry selling lady. Include in your trip all the must see/do stuff mentioned above – bathing at the falls, rotating the parisal, the jump, the bath, fish fry, massage (?), shop at parisal, shells, walk on the sand, viewpoint tower etc. And yes, take loads of pictures – the trip is incomplete without the souvenir.

Further Resources on Hogenakkal

Anurag’s post, Sandesh’s Post, Traveller’s Paradise, Deepu’s post.

Pictures: TravellersDiary Album, Sanjukta’s pic, Jump from oochappan, Anita’s pic,

If this post is useful to you in any way, please consider linking to it or sharing it with others. I’ll love to hear your comments too.

Srirangapatna: Tipu Sultan’s Capital

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About the place

Srirangapatna (Also known as Srirangapattana, Srirangapatnam, Seringapatam) is an island town on the Bangalore-Mysore highway (15 Km from Mysore, Karnataka, India) encircled by river Cauvery. The town dates back to at least 894 AD when Chieftain Thirumalaiah built the temple of Lord Sriranganatha. The island town was the capital of Hyder Ali and his son Tipu Sultan – The Tiger of Mysore. The ruined-preserved state of the town today points to its past glory. Climate is pleasant throughout the year. However, November to April is best.

What to see

Daria Daulat Bagh: This was Tipu’s summer palace and was built in 1784 in Indo Saracenic style (other example being Victoria Memorial, Kolkata). The palace is made of teak. There are lush green lawns in surrounding the palace. Inside the palace, several paintings, coins, maps of the days of Hyder/Tipu are reminiscent of the battles of the father son duo. However, photography and videography are prohibited inside. The canal-pipes duo made me assume some kind of fountain, now defunct. Don’t really know whether there is/was any. But captured it in the photograph nevertheless.

Gumbaz: Inside the tomb Hyder Ali has been laid to rest in the middle and on either side are the tombs of his wife Fatima Begum and son Tipu Sultan. Gumbaz has splendid ebony doors inlaid with ivory. The walls inside are covered with Tipu’s favorite Tiger stripes. Tipu’s wife, sons and relatives are buried just outside the main structure. A guide inside Gumbaz will tell you some tales of the Tipu days, and in return, he expects INR 10/20. According to the guide, the housing structures adjoining Gumbaz served as Guest house for the soldiers. Next to the Gumbaz is a mosque Masjid-e-aksa.

Sangam: 1km from Gumbaz is Sangam, the place where the River Loakpavani joins the River Cauvery. From Srirangapatna you can take an auto to this spot. The way is pretty straightforward, so even if you are on a personal vehicle, it shouldn’t be difficult for you. This is a popular picnic spot and is a beautiful place. From here the river follows into the Mettur Dam in Tamil Nadu. You may tour the river on the circular vessels/handwoven rafts shown in the adjoining picture. The ride becomes adventurous when the Boatman shows his skills and moves the vessel in circular motion. Trust me, it is adventurous, and often scary. We also encountered such vessels (called parisal in Tamil) in my Hogenakkal trip.

Old Fort: Only ruins of the fort-walls remain to date. Vehicles are allowed inside, where there’s a mini township. The fort has 7 must-see places as pointed in the adjoining picture – mosque, temple, dungeon, water gate among others. It is from this Fort that Tipu’s soldiers launched attack against the British. There is an obelisk in the fort in the place where he died, after being betrayed by his own men. Inside the fort there is a mosque and the Ranganathaswamy Temple. You may also see some spots where Tipu’s men stored their gunpowder.

Jumma Masjid: Also known as Masjid-e-Ala, Jumma Masjid was constructed in Tipu Sultan’s reign, in 1784. It is a grand structure with two lofty octagonal minarets. The minarets stand on a high platform with an open court in the front. I also came across something very interesting – 99 names of Allah is inscribed on the walls of the prayer hall on the western side. Also, the ground floor of the Masjid has a porch (or verandah) where many pupils were studying when we reached there. The sight was, well, conducive to study. Oh by the way, I took this picture standing on a moving (and turning!) Tanga.

Ranganathaswamy Temple: The temple was built by Chieftain Thirumalaiah in 894 AD. The temple is enormous and its architecture is a mix of Hoysala and Vijaynagara styles. Vishnu, enshrined as Lord Ranganatha (Ranganathaswamy), is shown reclining on the bed laid out by the serpent Aadi Sesha. The Chaturvimsati (meaning 24 in Sanskrit) pillars before the inner entrance has the cravings of the 24 forms of Vishnu. The temple also has shrines of Krishna, Ranganayaki Thaayaar, Goutama Muni, Alwars and Acharyas of the Vaishnava faith. There is a gigantic Rath, placed just outside the temple. Once a year, devotees pull the Rath and encircle the Temple. The festival is a boiled down version of RathaYatra of JagannathaPuri.

Colonel Bailey’s Dungeon: Colonel Bailey died in these dungeons in 1780AD. It also imprisoned Captain Baird, Captain Rulay, Colonel Brithwite, Samson among others. A guide will tell you : British prisoners were kept standing, with their outstretched hands handcuffed for 22 hours a day, with a resting period of 2 hours. During the siege of Srirangapatna, one cannon rolled back, pierced the ceiling and fell into the dungeon. And to this day it is lying there. Also visible in the top-left of the picture are few steps protruding from the wall. These were used by night-watchmen to climb down during the day. Beyond the walls of the dungeon is the river Cauvery. Rocky riverbed and some vegetation make it a good sight.

Water Gate: People of the Fort township used to fetch water from river Cauvery using this secret gate. This was the gate through which British soldiers entered the fort and killed Tipu. Another version of the story says that the British spilled water in the basement through this gate where Tipu’s army stored gunpowder. This rendered all the gunpowder useless. You may read more about the Battle of Seringapatam here.

TravellersDiary leaves you with some pictures of other must-see places inside the fort. You’ll know enough history when you visit place – through a guide, tanga-wallah or a board outside the must-see place.

Getting there/Town Transport

From Bangalore – Car: Drive down the Mysore Highway via Maddur to Srirangapatna. A taxi to Srirangapatna costs INR 1,200 approx Bus: Services every 20 min from Majestic (Platform No. 17) for Mysore. Step down the bus at Srirangapatnam, 15 km before Mysore. Roam around for 5 hrs and then go to Mysore. This will save at least 4 hours if you had planned to stay at Mysore, then visit the island town and go back to Mysore.

From Chennai: Car: Srirangapatna is a comfortable 460 odd km drive on NH4 to Bangalore via Chittoor and Karnataka State Highway 17 via Maddur.

The town has a bus stand well connected to Bangalore and Mysore. All the buses in this route has a stop here. Local buses ply with 20min frequency. SUVs, Auto and the odd Tanga are available at the bus stop for city tour.

Where to stay

If you are on a single day tour, no need to stay. Return to Bangalore/Mysore on the same day. If you are on multiple days tour, best option is to stay in Mysore. However, if you really want to stay in the town, Karnataka Tourism lists two hotels here – Ambelee Hotel Resort (Tel: 91-8236-52326) and Hotel Mayura River View (91-8236-52114).

TravellersDiary’s Recommendation

If you want to relive certain pages of Indian history, have just one day and live around Bangalore/Mysore, Srirangapatna is the preferred choice. The place will make you feel as if you were a character of the TV series ‘The Sword of Tipu Sultan‘. You can witness numerous characters and settings from the history books – Hyder Ali, Fatima Begum, THE SWORD, Tipu’s fort, Water gate, Colonel Bailey, Daria Daulat Bagh live here.

Reach Srirangapatna at around 10 am and take a tour of the fortress-island town on your vehicle. Autos are also available (@INR 70 per person). However, TravellersDiary recommends renting an odd Tanga (Horse carriage), where you can relive the old world charm. It will cost you INR 40 per person, will take more time than other means, but will give you two different experiences – ample time to see the locales so that the ‘places to see’ seep through, and the ‘tak tak’ tapping sound of the horse’s feet. The roads are good, so it wouldn’t be back-breaking. Plus, the Tanga-walla may agree to be your guide, free of cost. The picture here shows my parents, uncle and maasi on a tanga.

Further Reading

Wikipedia page

More about the Temple

More TravellersDiary pictures here

Srirangapatna on Bangalorebest

P.S. Let me know if the post was useful/useless to you. Bouquets/Brickbats are welcome